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Background: Both virus-induced asthma and enterovirus (EV) infection are common in children; however, the relationship between EV infection and virus-induced asthma has not been systematically investigated in a cohort study. This nationwide population-based cohort study investigated the association between EV infection and asthma., Methods: We used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The study sample consisted of insured children who were younger than 18 years and had EV infection between 1997 and 2013 and were followed until December 2013. We identified 36,935 children with EV infection and compared them based on 36,935 age-, sex-, urbanization- and income-matched controls to analyze the risk of subsequent asthma. Cox regression analyses were performed and adjusted for sex, age, urbanization, income, preterm labor and small for gestational age, perinatal complications, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis and bronchiolitis., Results: The mean follow-up interval for all patients was 8.59 years (standard deviation = 4.35 years). The mean latency period between initial EV infection and onset of asthma was 2.77 years (standard deviation = 2.43 years). EV infection was significantly associated with a higher incidence of asthma (hazard ratio = 1.65; 95% confidence interval: 1.60-1.71)., Conclusions: A significant association was observed between EV infection and asthma in children. Health providers should be aware of the higher potential for children with EV to develop asthma in the future.

Objective: Asthma and corticosteroid use have been implicated as possible risk factors for schizophrenia. The retrospective cohort study herein aimed to investigate the association between asthma, corticosteroid use, and schizophrenia., Method: Longitudinal data (2000 to 2007) from adults with asthma (n = 50,046) and without asthma (n = 50,046) were compared on measures of schizophrenia incidence using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Incidence of schizophrenia diagnosis (ICD-9 codes 295.XX) between 2000 and 2007 were compared between groups. Competing risk-adjusted Cox regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for sex, age, residence, socioeconomic status, corticosteroid use, outpatient and emergency room visit frequency, Charlson comorbidity index, and total length of hospital stays days for any disorder., Results: Of the 75,069 subjects, 238 received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The mean (SD) follow-up interval for all subjects was 5.8 (2.3) years. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, asthma was associated with significantly greater hazard ratio for incident schizophrenia 1.40 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.87). Additional factors associated with greater incidence of schizophrenia were rural residence, lower economic status, and poor general health. Older age (i.e. ≥65 years) was negatively associated with schizophrenia incidence. Corticosteroid use was not associated with increased risk for schizophrenia., Conclusions: Asthma was associated with increased risk for schizophrenia. The results herein suggest that a convergent disturbance in the immune-inflammatory system may contribute to the pathoetiology of asthma and schizophrenia.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with higher risk for fracture. Whether the medical treatment for ADHD would mitigate the risk remains unclear. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of methylphenidate treatment on risk for fracture, as well the moderational role of treatment duration on the risk of fracture, in a large national sample. Cases less than 18 years old were identified from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database with a new primary diagnosis of ADHD (ICD-9:314) between 1996 and 2013. A total of 6201 cases with ADHD were included as the study cohort. The cases were divided into 3 groups according to the duration of methylphenidate treatment (0, 1–180, and more than 180 days). All groups were followed until the end of 2013 for first diagnoses of fracture (ICD-9 codes 800 to 829). Cox proportional hazards models were applied. Compared to the group without methylphenidate treatment, the risk for fracture was lower among the group treated for more than 180 days. The adjusted hazard ratio was 0.77 (95% Confidence interval: 0.63–0.94). The groups treated for 180 days or fewer had no significant difference in the risk for fracture. In conclusion, methylphenidate treatment was associated with lower risk for fracture among ADHD patients. The association was evident only in the cohort treated for more than 180 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]